Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-06-25
A SEA GIANT.
Capture Of a Huge Shark in the Pacific
Ocean.

Two days ago NJ. Perez, a Portu-
guese, in the employ of the American
Fishing company, while cruising with his
boats crew of New Years Point, San
Mateo county, says the San Francisco
Examiner. successfully bagged the very
largest specimen of maritime game
which il aad yet been bis fortune
to secure, the creature in question be-
ing nothing less than a huge shark.
Small specimens Of this Grover of the
deep" have frequently been captured
before, but never such a monster as
| this, which is declared to be the very
largest ever seen upon the coast. From
the Tip OF the ugly snout 10 the end of
the forked tail the monster measured
thirty-three feet, while its total weigh
approaches four tons.
1t is perhaps needless to state that
Perez and his crew did not intention
ally interfere with the liberty of his
sharkship. their first intimation that
such a creature was in the %neighbor-
hood being obtained when they felt
a tremendous pull at their net. Even
while they wondered the enraged mon
ster, finding that he was completely
entangled in the meshes of the netting,
flung himself %furiously ont of the water
almost at full length, settling in an in
slant the question of his identity.
The fishermen Immediately east loose
the net, knowing how futile any at
tempt at controlling the sharks move
alents would be, but it soon became
evident that he was fatally shared.
Though the monster tore the net into
shreds in his frantic Efforts to free him
self every moment only wound it more
fatally about his jaws and gills, with
the final results of causing his death 10y
,uflocation or drowning. His dying
struggles Perez yesterday described to
an Examiner reporter as terrific, The
monster raising himself perpendicular,
ly upright nearly a score of times and
leaping almost clear of the water,
: falling the next instant with a ire
mendous splash.
: Nlltl Illt was IlndllN tAllll,A INV
, shark was towed to the shore and hi.
5 viscera, weighing over IA ton itself, re.
moved, the liver alone yielding nearly
{ $3.50 worth of oil. The carcass was
then sent by steamer TO this city,
Yesterday, with the aid of Il four
horse team, it was transported to Cen
a trail park, where it will be on eXhibi
e ton for several days, its captOrs beinG
e found yesterday by an Examiner repor
/. ter busily engaged in stulliug ice int
! it by the ton.
! The monster, in spite of It's enormou,
size and a mouth a clear three feet il
! width, is said not TO be n man eater
t ing shark. 1t is IA dark, dirty gray il
color. with a hide like IA r~hinoccros
and about its gilIs are the SIX ridge.
which, according TO experts, prove it
! age 10 be sixty years, each ofthe ridge
+ said to represent ten years.
The tail is forked, five feet across
a and stands vertically. Along the back
g bone are three triangular fins. as man,
more being under the center of tn,
belly. while just back of the gills OF
either side are clippers nearly fou.
feet in length.
The mouth, in spite of its enormous
} size, is not furnished with n man-eat
l er's tusks. but there are instead innum
} cradle rows of small, closely set teeth
/ all as sharp as needles. All in all. it j
[ a most formidable looking monster.